Lubricating and cooling devices for rolling mill rolls



July 6, 1965 L. DIOLOT LUBRICATING AND COOLING DEVICES FOR ROLLING MILL ROLLS Filed Feb. 13, 1962 United States Patent h ice Patented July 6, 1965 3,1%,757 LUERICA'ING ANI) CDGLING DEVICES FR RLLING IVHLL RQLLS Lucien Dioiot, NeniEy-snr-Seine, France, assigner to Societe Nouveile Spidern, Paris, France, a French corporation Filed Feb. 13, i962, Ser. No. 172,965 Claims priority, application France, Fels. 2l), 1961,

D 4 Claims. dei. 'i2- 236) This invention relates to devices for lubricating and cooling the surface of rolling mill rolls. In high speed strip mills, it is necessary to cool rand lubricate the surface of the rolls, and in particular the working rolls in four-high mills.

The devices known for this purpose consist of sprinkling nozzles of various forms, which are generally fairly close to one another and adjacent the surface of the rolls.

The nature of the cooling liuid, the flow and pressure at the outlet of the nozzles are naturally variable according to the dimensions of the rolling mill, the nature and absolute reduction in thickness of the product being rolled. The speed of rolling is generally limited by the eiiiciency of the cooling and the ability to maintain a uniform temperature .along the rolls.

In these devices, the speed of impingement of the jet on the rolls is such that a certain rebounding of fluid is produced, which causes partial mechanical heating thereof `and thus rather opposes its function of cooling. Moreover, contact with the rolls is not good and does not last long. Also, since the fluid is only very slightly heated by conductibility on contact with the rolls, it does not perform its function properly.

Furthermore, the fluid falls back on to the product as soon as it has left the roll, thus covering the product during rolling with a considerable quantity of uid, which it is diflicult to discharge via the edges of the strip.

Finally, the eddies produced by and around the impact of the jet of fluid on the surface of the rolls produce a considerable fog which must be exhausted in order 4to oppose the formation in the workshop in the vicinity of the mill of an oily `atmosphere which is harmful to the health of the personnel and covers all of the material and the door with a greasy film increasing the risk of fire.

The present invention proposes to eliminate these various defects.

lt has as its object a device for lubricating and cooling the surface of rolling mill rolls, especially working and support rolls in four-high mills, characterized in that it consists of a prismatic tank arranged longitudinally adjacent the surface of each working roll and parallel thereto between the corresponding supporting roll and the product being rolled. The tank is Without walls on the side nearest the two working rolls and the upper supporting roll and the end side walls of each tank are profiled on their edges, so as to closely follow the curvature of these rolls as far as their point of tangence. The bottom of the lower tank has a similar profile and each tank is divided into a series of compartments by partitions parallel and similar in configuration to the end side walls,

.preferably having individual feed means at the base of each compartment. The surplus fiuid from each tank is collected in a trough adjoining the frontal wall of the tank, the frontal and lateral walls of the trough having heights such that the fluid is finally discharged by overflowing over the lateral walls of the trough.

It thus becomes possible to maintain the uid continuously in contact not only with the working roll but also with the supporting roll over the greatest possible arc,

so as to obtain a much greater exchange of temperature between uid and roll than is the case with devices of the type mentioned above.

By way of example and in order that the constructional details of the invention may be understood, the following description Will show with reference to the drawing how a rolling mill comprising four rolls may be equipped with a device according to the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of a rolling mill thus equipped seen in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the product being rolled.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the lubricating and cooling device shown in FIGURE 1.

4In FIGURE 1, the two working rolls are designated T and Ta, the two supporting rolls A and Aa, and the product being rolled by` P.

As shown, the device consists of two tanks 1, 1a for distributing uid, which are in the form of prisms and are bounded on the outside by the front walls 2, 2a and on the inside by the actual surface of the rolls. These tanks are divided into compartments such as 5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d

. having dimensions adapted to the various cases,

each of Ithe compartments being supplied with fluid at its lower part by a pipe-line 4, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d This independent feed `allows the fluid to be admitted in Y varying quantities .and at varying temperatures into each compartment, the control of the admission of fluid being able to be, if necessary, rendered automatic by the action of one or more leading factors amongst those influencing the heating of the rolls, as well as the straightness, smoothness and uniformity of thickness of the product both in the longitudinal and transverse directions, that is to say any factor which may adversely alfect the constancy of quality of the product being rolled.

A collecting trough 6 or 6a forms a second prism adjoining each tank `and completes the device. This collecting trough, which is not partitioned, serves as a return channel for the uid overowing from the tank compartments. This fluid is discharged laterally so as not to drip on to the strip during rolling and is collected and returned for circulation after filtration. To this end, the front part 3 or 3a may be of a greater height than the side wall 7 or 7a, whilst the side wall 8 or 8a of the tank may have an intermediate height.

This canalizing of the fluid, after use, prevents its falling in showers on the strip and the parts of the rolling mill, which always causes fogs and uid losses. FIG- URE 2 shows the lateral liow of the surplus fluid.

A drying device 9 of conventional type on the upper supporting roll causes the surplus fluid adhering to the roll to fall back into the discharging trough and avoids centrifugal projection at high speeds onto the product which has just been rolled.

Owing to the fact that the lateral walls of the tanks and the compartment partitions do not touch the rolls, there may be some leakage either from one compartment to another or at the base of the compartments, but these are very slight in relation to the total flow. It will be noted that the bottom 10 of the lower tank is likewise profiled with respect to the lower supporting roll.

It is evident that in this system the contactsV between iiuid and roll are made over a Very large `arc and allow a much greater heat exchange than is the case with simple sprinkling. Each tank, at least in the parts which may enter into contact with the rolls, is made of a material not liable -to spoil in any way whatsoever the surface of the rolls (plastic material, for example).

What I claim is:

1. A device for lubricating yand cooling the surface of rolling mills rolls comprising means closely adjacent a portion ofthe surface of one of said rolls for supporting a quantity of cooling uid against said surface portion over the entire length thereof, said supporting means including a plurality of compartments each individually supplied with cooling uid and overflow means associated with said supporting means for collecting that portion of cooling uid which said supporting means is incapable of supporting. Y

2. In a four-high rolling mill having a pair of Working rolls and a pair of supporting rolls, the improvement consisting essentially of a device for lubricating and cooling the surface of said rolls comprising a pair of prismatic tanks each mounted closely adajcent to a respective one of said working rolls over the entire length thereof such that a portion of the surface of each roll forms one lateral wall of a respective tank, said tanks each containing a plurality of partitions mounted perpendicular to said rolls forming a plurality of compartments Within said tanks, means associated wtih each compartment for supplying cooling fluid thereto at the base'thereof, and an overow means mounted on each of said tanks for catching the overow of cooling uid over the other A lateral wall of said tanks. Y

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 737,571 9/03 Bray 80-41 1,978,895 lO/34 Clark n 80-4'1 2,033,046 3/36 Montgomery 80-38 2,291,616 8/42 Fletcher 100-75 3,024,129 3/ 62 Brundige 100--75 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. LEON PEAR, Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR LUBRICATING AND COLING THE SURFACE OF ROLLONG MILLS ROLLS COMPRISING MANS CLOSELY ADJACENT A PORTION OF THE SURFACE OF ONE OF SAID ROLLS FOR SUPPORTING A QUANTITY OF COOLING FLUID AGAINST SAID SURFACE PORTION OVER THE ENTIRE LENGTH THEREOF, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF COMPARTMENTS EACH INDIVIDUALLY SUPPLIED WITH COOLING FLUID AND OVERFLOW MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR COLLECTING THAT PORTION OF COOLING FLUID WHICH SAID SUPPORTING MEANS IS INCAPABLE OF SUPPORTING. 